Loves Embrace
by Vix075
Summary: It takes a near death experience for Xena to final realise what Gabrielle really means to her.


**Disclaimers**: You know the deal guys: I don't own nothin; I'm just a really obsessed fan! The series is owned by Renaissance Pictures, yadda, yadda, yadda…

**Rating:** Rated R for very graphic sexual scenes between two women.

**Pairing:** Xena and Gabrielle

**Feedback:** All comments/suggestions/criticisms welcome.

**Note:** No real series displacement… It's quite far into the series, but nothing is really mentioned apart from Gabby's sais.

Loves Embrace

I burnt with a fever of lust. She was slowly rocking her body against mine, her thigh between mine, her cool, naked breasts pressed against my hot skin. I tingled all over. Her lips meeting mine, her hands upon my skin, her nipples like little rocks against my chest… My passion was building as our speed increased. I walked my fingers across her back, feeling the smooth skin of her body, while her hands rested soothingly on my hips. I could hold in my passion no longer. Any moment now I would find my release. I started to groan my climax to the stars.

"Gabrielle," she crooned.

"GABRIELLE!"

I shot up in my pallet. Xena's hand rested on my hip as she tried to wake me from my dream. I realised it was night as I tried to blink the sleep from my eyes.

"Gabrielle, wake up. It's just a nightmare. Hush now, I'm here."

It took me a few moments to collect my clouded thoughts.

"I love you," I tried to tell her, but my voice came out a croak.

Xena pressed her arm against my forehead and then touched my cheek with her fingers. I leaned into her hand on my face, relishing the caress of her strong hands.

"You've got a fever. Rest now."

The voice swam in my ears to the point of incoherency. I felt strong hands on my shoulders, pushing me back, away from my beloved.

"Don't leave me," I cried, clutching at the wrist on my shoulder.

"I'll always be with you," Xena's voice barely reached my ears.

I slept.

I was aware of nothing but the feel of Xena pressed up against me when I awoke some time later. I instantly clutched her closer to me, feeling the warmth of her skin and her steamy breath on my neck. She didn't awake, so I lay holding her.

I couldn't remember much of the last couple days. I felt cold and tired, exhausted beyond belief. As my body started to regain feeling I began to run my hands over Xena's back. Her body was pressed tightly against me and her skin was warm. It was then that I realised there was nothing between our two bodies. We were both as naked as the day we were born. I startled slightly, jostling Xena into stirring. I tried to push back a bit, but there was no strength in me to do so. I'm not sure to this day whether I really wanted to or not.

Xena was awake in an instant, pressing her cool hands on my face. The blanket slipped off her lithe body exposing the tip of her smooth breast. She didn't seem to notice as she was checking me for any sign of fever.

"How are you feeling?"

Her voice was sensual, alluring… Just watching her lips move made me want to kiss them.

"I think I'm ok," I replied, trying to sit up.

She pushed me firmly back into the pallet and I didn't have the strength to protest.

"You're like ice, you have to stay warm," she said, slipping back under the blanket and pressing her body lightly against mine. "You took a nasty hit and you need to rest."

I didn't disagree; I was too weak to do anything but lie still. Yet my thoughts were racing and I relished the feel of her supple breasts brushing against the side of my feverish body.

"Hold me," I breathed; it wasn't a question.

She slipped her arms around me, pulling me closer to her warmth.

"You'll be fine. Stay with me."

I turned my head in to kiss her supple lips. I don't know if she returned the kiss. I could stay awake no longer.

I don't know how long I slept. The few times I stirred Xena was right there next to me; her warm body against my cold one, her arms enclosed around me, the smell of her saturating my senses.

When I finally dragged myself into total consciousness, I realised that Xena was no longer pressed against me. I was still completely bare, but it was relatively warm under the blanket despite the crispness of the night. I slowly struggled into a sitting position. Looking around I found a fire burning not far away, Argo tethered to a branch nearby, and my clothes and sais near my bag under a tree.

I was still unsteady so I rose slowly, wrapping the blanket around my shoulders as I did so. Hobbling over to my clothes I tripped on the edge of the blanket. I stumble and just as I thought I was going to hit the ground Xena appeared out of nowhere to catch my arm. She was as bare as I was and soaking wet. There was fresh fish on the ground a few meters away: she must have been fishing.

I looked up into her eyes, aware of her body against mine, and I burned with a wild desire to be with her. It was probably my oblivious state that made her eyes seem bottomless, but they called to me, drawing me deeper inside her, captivating my every attention. We stood motionless, her holding me on the verge of falling. As she held me in her arms I could not help thinking about my dreams of our bodies bonding in an eternal embrace.

"Thank you," I whispered in a husky voice.

I could hold that gaze no longer. To be this close to her and not be able to touch her in a lovers embrace… My body throbbed from wishing for her touch. I struggled to stand up straight but she would not let me go.

"I love you Gabrielle. I never realised how much you meant to me until I almost lost you. I could not bare for us to be parted."

I looked up, seeing my face reflected in her eyes. I could hold my feelings bottled up no longer; I had to tell her.

"I love you too Xena. I've always loved you. From that first time our eyes met when you saved my village I have felt a connection to you. I have wanted to be next to you every moment of every day. When we are parted I feel incomplete. I love you with every fibre of my being. You are my heart and soul."

She just looked down into my eyes, her expression soft but carefully neutral. She slowly straightened up with me still in her arms, the blanket slowly slipping from my body as we stood; our eyes staying firmly locked all the time. I felt very conscious of our two naked bodies still firmly pressed against each other.

Very suddenly her face crumbled and she pulled me to her breast, kissing my hair and tears in her eyes. She poured out her soul to me.

"Gabrielle, you are my strength. You are my spirit, my courage, my core… Knowing that you will be next to me when I awake each morning and lie next to me while I sleep each night gives me the ability to rise again each morning."

She slowly bent her head to kiss my cheek, but I turned my face to the kiss. It happened so quickly, but when our lips met she did not pull away. It felt so natural, our bodies so close and our faces pressed together in a mutual embrace.

I have no idea how long we stood entwined as we were. At some point her tongue pressed against my lips, bidding them to open. Eventually some part of me regained consciousness and I broke the kiss. I knew Xena was just reacting this way because of the relief flooding through her from my recovery. My hardened warrior could never love me the way I loved her…

I had to say something to break this awkwardness. I opened my mouth to speak but Xena's hand pressed against my lips, stopping the words from coming. I tried pulling away but she held me firmly, our bodies pressed against each other and our eyes locked firmly upon one another.

"Don't speak," she whispered to me. "I have wanted this for so long. That kiss felt more right than any deed I have ever done. I see it in your eyes as I feel it in my heart; we were meant to be together for all eternity. Don't deny you feel it too."

I couldn't deny it; I felt it more deeply than I had ever felt anything in my life. I pulled her as tightly to me as I could, kissing her neck, her lips, running my hands across her smooth, muscled back.

Xena picked me up and walked me over to my pallet. As she gently lay me down, she began kissing my stomach, my breasts, my neck, slowly moving up my body until she reached my face. She looked into my eyes and tenderly stroked my hair away from my face before pressing her lips to mine. Her body was warm and my injury long forgotten as our bodies entwined.

I couldn't keep my hands off her. I caressed every part of her skin within the reach of my arms. She was so strong beneath my small hands, her body so firm. Our bodies seemed to naturally entwine become one, my hands on her hips, her hands slowly fondling my supple breasts, and our eyes drinking deeply within each other.

She kissed my breasts as she ran her hands down my body in a long caress. My skin tingled where her hands touched, the hairs prickling as I leisured in her stroke. When her hands reached my thigh, she gently applied pressure to open my legs and entered me with her fingers.

I thrust my hips forward in time with her hand. My breath quickened and I started to groan, first softly and then more loudly as my passion increased. I had never been touched like this by anyone, but it felt right, natural.

Sooner than I would have liked, her fingers withdrew from inside me. She started to slither down my body, kissing my skin with her lips as she did so. Her tongue eventually replaced where her fingers had left off. At first the touch was lightly, but as it became quicker and harder I realised I had laced my fingers through her hair, pulling her tightly against me. Again I thrust my pelvis in time with the motions and she strained to reach inside me more deeply. Her hands had an iron grip just below my waist, pulling me towards her.

Her tongue was flat and hard, circling my center before tentatively sucking my g-spot. I continued to moan my ecstasy to the stars, knowing I could not last much longer. The cry that burst from my lips as I released seemed to shake the very ground I lay on. My energy was just about spent and I lay in a quivering heap as Xena snuggled up beside me.

I could find no words to describe my love and the passion we had shared as we silently slipped into a deep sleep. But I knew I didn't have to; the story of our loves embrace would never touch the blank parchment lying in my saddlebag.

The End


End file.
